Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Butter
12 Tablespoons Cocoa*
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil*
2 Cups Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Cups Sugar
4 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
Powdered Sugar
*or 4 Squares of Unsweetened Chocolate

Instructions:
Melt butter, then add cocoa and oil until smooth
Beat chocolate mixture and granulated sugar until combined
Add eggs and beat well
Mix in vanilla
Mix in flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just combined
Refrigerate dough until very firm, at least 2 hours

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease cookie sheet (or use parchment paper).
Place confectioner's sugar on a paper plate.
Roll dough into small balls and then roll in powdered sugar until completely covered.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until tops of cookies are set.
Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to rack to cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Tis The Season!

Chex Mix

Ingredients:
  1/2 c butter
  2 T season salt
  1/2 - 2/3 c Worcestershire sauce
  2T garlic powder
  1/2 T ground mustard
  1/4 - 1/2 T curry, to taste (optional)
  6-8 c chex cereal: 2 honey nut, 2 rice, 2 corn, 2 wheat
  2 handfuls (approximately 2 c) pretzels
  1 - 2 c mixed nuts

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 250. While oven is pre-heating, put the stick of butter in your large roasting pan and put it in the oven to melt the butter at the same time.
• Remove pan once butter is melted and combine the rest of the ingredients together with the butter and mix well to coat the majority of the ingredients.
• Heat for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Spread on paper towels to cool for approximately 30 minutes to cool.

Christmas & Birthday Lists 2009

This is a list of things the girls have asked for and things that have been bought (as far as I have been informed.) Hope it helps!

Bella - Size 6 jeans, not slim | Size 7/8 tops | Size 12 1/2 - 13 shoe

• Zhu Zhu Pets: Mr. Squiggles Brown Hamster, Fun House, and Wheel (from Santa)
• Polly Pocket Roller Coaster Resort (Kim)
• Veterinarian Kit (Trisha)
• Goldilicious by Elizabeth Kann (Kim)
• My Amusement Park Leapster (Kim)
• Denim Skirts (Sheila)
• Best Friends Club 18" Doll - Addison (Sheila)
• Best Friends Club 11" Doll (Barbie Size) - Addison (Trisha)
• Outfits for an 18" doll 
• Three Musketeer costume for her 18" doll
• Purplicious by Elizabeth Kann - hardcover, please
• Roller Skates (the kind that fit over your shoes)

Bella likes Junie B. Jones Chapter Books by Barbara Park. We own books 1-12.
She is also starting to read on her own a bit, so the easy readers (Step 1 books or equivalent.)
She loves to play dress up, so costume clothing is great.
She's just getting into Barbie Dolls and loved Barbie and the Three Musketeers (she got Corinne for her birthday)
She enjoys crafts and art and will spend hours coloring, cutting, punching and gluing paper.
Her favorite color is pink (today).

Lili - Size 4 Jeans (adjustable waist) slim is okay | Size 4 or 4/5 tops | Size 9 shoe

• Zhu Zhu Pets: Num Nums Gray Hamster, Fun House, and Wheel (from Santa)
• Three Musketeer Barbie - Corrine (Sheila)
• If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff (Kim)
• If You Take A Mouse To The Movies by Laura Numeroff (Kim)
• If You Give A Pig A Pancake by Laura Numeroff (Kim)
• Disney Fairies Leapster Game (Kim) 
• Best Friends Club 18" Doll - Calista (Sheila)
• Best Friends Club 11" Doll (Barbie Size) - Katilin (Trisha)
• Crib for 18" Doll
  
• Outfits for an 18" doll 
  
• Roller Skates (the kind that fit over your shoes)

Lili loves to play dress up, so costume clothing, dress up shoes, jewelry and stuff like that are all great.
She likes the Disney princesses and fairies.
She enjoys coloring, cutting, punching and gluing paper.

Either / Both

• Leapster Games: Ni Hao, Kai-Lan and The Princess and the Frog  (If you want one of these, let me know. They were on sale so I bought them already)
  
• Paper Punches (the ones that are a bit more expensive, like $7-$15...Martha Stewart type, are easier than the cheap ones for the kids to push down on to punch the shape into the paper) we already have a crown, a dog pawprint, a sprig from a plant, and a flower.
• Stickers
  
• Stencils for tracing
• UNO Moo Game
• Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure DVD (Trisha)
  
• Ice Age 3 DVD (Trisha)
  
• Build-A-Bear Gift Card(s)

Trisha

• Super Mario Bros Wii Game
• GE Crock Pot with Cool Touch and Locking Lid (Walmart)

Mike

• Green by Ted Dekker (Trisha)
• Long Sleeve, Turtle Neck Under Armor
• Jeans